Biological E's vaccine to be part of Telangana health plan

Pharma firm Biological E Ltd (BE) today announced that its 5-in-1 Pentavalent vaccine is being introduced in the immunisation programme in Telangana.
The announcement was made by the company at an event in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. The liquid vaccine will be administered free of cost to all children through the immunisation programme in the State, a company official said.
BE's Pentavalent has received pre-qualification approval from the World Health Organisation. More than 100 million doses of this 5-in-1 vaccine have been administered to children around the world till date.
Pentavalent has been adopted for immunisation by most countries in the world and is now being inducted into the national immunisation programme and also in Telangana, the city-based vaccine maker said in a release here.

With Pentavalent, children in India will be immunised not only against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), Hepatitis-B (also known as white jaundice) but also bacterial meningitis and pneumonia caused by haemophilus influenza type b Bacteria (Hib), it said.
Mahima Datla, Managing Director, BE, said, "Thousands of children in Telangana are exposed to the risk of deadly vaccine-preventable diseases. The Telangana Government's endeavour is to increase health access to underprivileged children, and this vaccine will be available free of cost to all children through the immunisation programme.